RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team picked up its first win of the season in a big way with a 2-1 victory on the road against No. 11 Felician.

The Huskies (1-0-2) hand the Golden Falcons (2-1) their first loss of the season after going up 2-0 in the contest. Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) scored his first of the season for Bloomsburg from a set piece in the first half. Jake Pacacha (Shelton, Conn./St. Joseph) netted what proved to be the decisive goal, racing behind the Felician backline with help from a service ball by Quaid Molino (Charleston, S.C./Wando (S.C.)) on a counterattack to double the advantage. 

The Golden Falcons cut their deficit to one in the 73rd minute and aggressively searched for an equalizer in the box. In the end, the Huskies relied on their defensive foundation to hold firm and secure their first win, a ranked victory, of the season.

How It Happened:
Looking to find a way into the win column on Wednesday, Bloomsburg looked to shift its offensive tactics to improve its possession and chance creation in the final third. The Huskies built their strategy on the day of maintaining possession in the midfield, waiting patiently to take their chances over the top and minimize Felican's efforts in the same areas. The Golden Falcons put the first shot of the day on goal, with an arching ball taking a bounce for Aaron Lang's volley attempt, forcing a redirect from goalkeeper Peter Punchello (Jamison, Pa./William Penn Charter). 

After dealing with its first set-piece defense of the contest, Bloomsburg set its sights on its attacking efforts. Hollobaugh's first shot of the afternoon went wide while shielding a defender off his left shoulder. The forward's second shot of the afternoon came from a half-volley attempt centered in the box following a nod on a throw-in for the Huskies. 

The breakthrough for Bloomsburg came in the 25th minute, as the team found familiarity in the chaos created from the dead-ball situation. After Sam Blumberger (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) drew a foul inside 30 yards from goal, the Huskies pulled off a well-executed routine. Braden Alicea (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland) laid off a short ball toward the endline to Quaid Molino (Charleston, S.C./Wando (S.C.)), with the senior midfielder whipping in a low-driven cross inside the box. The ball ricocheted off a Felician defender inside the six-yard box and fell to the feet of Hollobaugh. The junior's third attempt proved to be the charm, finding the bottom left corner to grab a 1-0 lead. 

The two sides continued into the latter stages of the opening half, looking to play into their respective styles. Both teams exchanged a sequence of shots on target, with attacking play focused down the wings. Bloomsburg continued to create chances for its second of the afternoon, with Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township), in his first appearance of the season, putting a header attempt at the back post on goal from a set piece as the score held at 1-0 entering halftime. 

The second half opened with the two teams going back and forth in search of a path to the back of the net. With initial shots not amounting to much to begin the closing stretch, it was eventually the Huskies taking advantage of a high line from the Golden Falcons to find a second. Bloomsburg put in a defensive shift once again, this time cutting out a short and quick look in an effort to catch the Huskies off guard. Alicea put in a challenge to gain possession of the ball and play the ball to Molino. The midfielder took his time on the ball before squaring a long through ball to the right flank. The pass found a streaking Pacacha, able to get leverage on his defender and put away a tremendous finish for the two-goal lead.

Needing to fight their way back, Felician played with a renewed sense of urgency to erase the Huskies' lead. The Golden Falcons answered back in the 73rd with a goal from a well-timed one-two. Keiji Sugiura turned and cut inside toward the box with the Bloomsburg defense at his heels. Sugiura played a short pass to Dario Gomez before a quick return connection led to Sugiura putting away his shot attempt to make it a 2-1 contest. 

Felician kept pushing men forward into the box to overwhelm the Huskies' defense. Bloomsburg fought off and deflected numerous corner kicks, free kicks, and shot attempts, soaking up the pressure encasing the final 15 minutes of action. Punchello iced the game for the Huskies, coming down with a last-ditch long shot from Andreas Mortensen as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Numbers of Note:
1 - The Huskies and the Golden Falcons faced off three times previously under head coach Mark Bassett, including twice a season ago. Wednesday marked the first win for Bassett and the first win since 2022 for Bloomsburg over Felician.

10 - With his first-half strike on Wednesday, Hollobaugh reached a career milestone. The junior forward scored his 10th career goal in the first half on Wednesday.

On the Horizon:
The Bloomsburg men's soccer team continues its stretch of three consecutive road games this Saturday, September 13, at 3:00 p.m. against PSAC West opponent Seton Hill.